Some want unwed dads to pick up Medicaid’s birth costs

STL Today ^ | 07/25/2005 | Virginia Young

[Lorianne]

JEFFERSON CITY - Some Republican legislators want to charge unwed fathers thousands of dollars for hospital birth costs incurred by low-income mothers on Medicaid.

"But the last time I checked, it takes two people to make a baby. And there is some responsibility, not just for child support, but for the cost of bringing that child successfully into the world," said Shields, R-St. Joseph.

Medicaid pays for 43 percent of the births in Missouri. At an average cost of $3,286 a birth, the tab hit $120.6 million last year. Nearly two-thirds of the moms on Medicaid are unmarried.

Critics say mother and baby would suffer under Shields' proposal because some women would give up Medicaid and forgo prenatal care rather than cooperate in efforts to bill the father for hospital costs.

Studies in other states have concluded that birth recovery policies discourage fathers from voluntarily establishing paternity and take money that otherwise would help low-income fathers support their children. That is especially true in families where the unmarried parents live together as a family.

"In reality, there are a lot of fathers that just don't have the income," said Ruth Ehresman, policy director of Citizens for Missouri's Children.

[Yaelle]

"In reality, there are a lot of fathers that just don't have the income,"

Then they should keep their penises to themselves until they do!

[A Ruckus of Dogs]

used to be women looked for men who could support them, and their progeny.....now, they think women's lib means have a baby and figure out how to get US to pay the bills. Something is terribly wrong with THIS picture.

I agree, this is a good part of the problem. I would stop all welfare payments to never-married mothers. Word will get around.

[reelfoot]

"Best thing to do is cancel Medicaid ENTIRELY.

Let people figure out in advance how they will pay for a child -- before they get the process started."

Brutally honest and entirely correct. You win the cigar. It's called personal responsibility.

[A Ruckus of Dogs]

Again, if a woman wants to get pregnant, the choices of individual men are irrelevant.

He can wear a condom, ya know. Cover the rig and oil won't leak.

[A Ruckus of Dogs]

Mrs Mean used to watch Jerry Springer (I think it was) and one of the staples of the show is the girl insisting that a particular man was the father, it could be no other! So they get the guy on, he says no way, and

Jerry Springer's "guests" aren't real. I know a guy whose brother was on the show. He said they tell them what to say, when to say it, when to throw the first punch, etc ...

I would not take anything that happens on Jerry Springer as being real.

[Yaelle]

But upon further reflection, it becomes obvious that if this idea is enacted, two negative things will occur. The first is that unmarried pregnant women, who already top the murder statistics, will practically become target practice for their boyfriends who don't want to foot the bill. The second negative thing that will almost certainly occur is that the boyfriends will put immense pressure on the women to get abortions so they don't have to cough up money for childbirth.

However, if this sad occurrence came to pass, even stupid women would WISE UP and stop sleeping around.

When abortions were rare and shameful, and birth control wasn't easy to find, women did not "put out" that much, and men knew that they would be socially forced to marry a woman he impregnated. That is the way it should be.

[A Ruckus of Dogs]

My case for putting birth control in the water supply. If you want to get the antidote you have to prove you are financially capable of supporting a child.

[A Ruckus of Dogs]

We need to end the "Baby Momma" chic social status.

Some pop star actually put out a song saying baby mommas are a badge of honor. Incredible.

[longtermmemmory]

There is a legal reason for not starting support until after the birth.

If you can charge support before the birth then the man has "standing".

Standing for medical information. Standing to know about an abortion. Standing to perhaps oppose an abortion.

Perhaps even when tech allows, standing for pre-birth custody.

[A Ruckus of Dogs]

The fact that simple common sense like this actually has to be trumpeted statewide on radio commercials like it's some sort of revolutionary new wisdom just makes me want to weep.

I agree. There used to be shame in this.

[longtermmemmory]

shades of Robert A. Heilein's works where women had to be license to have babies. (or else)

[A Ruckus of Dogs]

What you posted is logically correct and impossible to argue with. However, if we ever did this, the taxpayers would have twice as many babies to support.

Let's just get rid of welfare completely. Once it becomes economically stressful to have kids out of wedlock, it will stop.

[A Ruckus of Dogs]

and men knew that they would be socially forced to marry a woman he impregnated. That is the way it should be.

Yaelle, it's the larger society (and that includes you and me) that no longer stigmatizes men for failing to do the "honorable thing."

[MRMEAN]

What you posted is logically correct and impossible to argue with. However, if we ever did this, the taxpayers would have twice as many babies to support.
Let's just get rid of welfare completely. Once it becomes economically stressful to have kids out of wedlock, it will stop.

I agree, the real welfare reform is NO GOVERNMENT WELFARE. I stated in at least one post that the need is to reduce incentives for young women to reproduce who do not want to take financial responsibility for their offspring (like getting married) and I thought I was more explicit, maybe I was on another thread. Private charities might help those who had fallen into difficulty through no fault of their own, and even those people will no doubt be expected to do all they can to support themselves and their children; but irresponsible breeders will have to go to work, or even lose their kids if they are unable or unwilling to support them.

[Diva Betsy Ross]

How about having the unwed man and woman pay Medicaid. Those gals didn't get pregnant by themselves.